aurora/northern lights (AKA i love my life)

"Maria, put some clothes on and come outside!" my housemate yelled from the living room.

i was like, "wtf, it's 11pm!" but he wouldn't budge, nor would he tell me what the hell was going on outside, so finally i put on a jacket and shoes, and luckily had the good sense to bring a camera, because...THE NORTHERN LIGHTS WERE OUT!!!

it was vibrant green in the sky just outside the house, but we decided to drive a few miles out to the glacier, where there was absolutely no light pollution. i had long given up trying to catch one of these, since juneau is generally too south to experience much northern lights, and i had been disappointed the couple times that conditions had been right (clear and COLD). today was not very cold and only sort of clear, but there they were, green and morphing constantly across the sky. and when you whistle, you can cause the lights to shift and dance according to the rhythm of your whistles ("old indian trick," said the housemate). this all sounds completely nuts, but i was there!

northern lights over the mountain and trees by the glacier

Then i made the mistake of googling "northern lights" and found pictures on this blog that pretty much blew my friggin mind. Enjoy!